Frozen Yogurt
by Andettan
Summary: It's been a tough three years for Team Phantom. It's sink or swim in Amity Park, and they've had to shape up. So when Mr. Lancer announces a trip to the Ghost Zone, they really aren't expecting anything other than disaster. Struggling to keep Danny's secret and everyone else alive, there's nothing the trio want more than to get back home and relax over some tasty frozen yogurt.
1. Frozen Yogurt

**Frozen Yogurt (re-write)**

**A/N: To the people who were waiting for me to continue my first version of this story, I'm so sorry. Life's been really rough lately and I've been incredibly busy up until now. But now I have plenty of time and I'm going to do a re-vamped version now that my writing's improved. A lot of things are gonna be different. **

**Chapter 1: Frozen Yogurt**

"That'll be twenty dollars and fifty seven cents."

"_What? _Twenty bucks for some frozen yogurt, are you kidding me?"

"Sorry, kid. I'm not in charge of prices."

"Ugh, alright. So much for that new pair of headphones. Hey, Tuck, you mind taking the tray?"

"Sure, man. But put your wallet away, I know you're a bit short on change right now. Today's on me, dude."

"Thanks Tuck."

Three years of high school, but some things never change. Tucker always had his back, whether it involved frozen yogurt or ghost hunting. And to be honest, they dealt with the latter with a depressing regularity. Danny was surprised that they'd all survived for this long, what with them putting their lives at risk on a daily basis. Not that the years had passed them by without leaving their mark, but honestly, he wouldn't change a thing. Especially not when the tourism the ghosts brought in led to a new frozen yogurt shop in Amity Park.

Danny shook himself out of his thoughts as they neared the table. Sam was sitting there, as beautiful as ever. He slid down the booth next to her and helped Tucker put the tray he'd been carrying on the table. The springy material of the cushioned seat squeaked as their friend sat across them.

"One plum flavored dairy-free frozen yogurt for my lovely lady," announced Danny, sliding his girlfriend her cup with an exaggerated flourish.

"Thanks, Danny," she smiled, snatching his spoon teasingly and using it to dig in to her own cup. Tucker groaned at his friends and made gagging noises at the sickening sight in front of him. Sam scowled at him and kicked his shin with her heavy boot-clad foot.

Next to her the lovesick halfa wore a goofy grin, unable to take his eyes off of his girlfriend's ectoplasm-green lips, a far cry from the color they'd been in freshman year.

After her parents had emptied her closet in the hopes of getting her to go shopping for more socially acceptable clothing, Sam had changed her entire wardrobe. To her parents' dismay, rather than purchase anything "normal", the teen had made a rather sudden jump from goth to a more vibrant, punk fashion, declaring mockingly that they had been right to suggest a change in fashion, this suited her _much_ better.

And after first seeing her in tight black jeans, a neon green crop-top, and purple suspenders, Danny could only stammer that he completely agreed. His girlfriend was beautiful before, but he couldn't deny that her hair looked even better now that she'd let t grow to mid-back.

Seeing that Danny was still staring dreamily at her long after her and Tucker had dug into their frozen yogurt, Sam blushed and felt another smile tugging at her lips. Danny and her had gotten together during sophomore year, to the surprise of absolutely none of their peers.

Tucker cleared his throat, snapping Danny out of his glassy-eyed, sappy look. He blushed and rubbed his neck, embarrassed at being caught. He proceeded to shove a spoonful of pineapple flavored frozen yogurt in his mouth to avoid further embarrassment.

"_Anyways_," smirked Tucker. "What are we gonna do about that field trip tomorrow, guys?" his voice took on a more worried tone.

Danny groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me. I'm trying _not_ to think about that upcoming train wreck right now, Tuck."

Sam gave him an annoyed look. "Danny, our entire English class is going on a trip to the ghost zone. A trip that's going to be chaperoned by your parents. And that's supposed to last all day. There's _no way_ that it won't go wrong. We need to be prepared."

"_Fine_, fine. You can't blame a guy for trying."

Neither of them missed Danny's sullen tone, but it was all in good fun, so Sam and Tucker just smirked. Tucker mimed flicking a whip and made a mocking cracking sound, earning him a dirty look from both his friends. He discreetly moved over in the hopes of avoiding another brutal kick from Sam.

"Okay, so I say, we bring out the big guns. Anything and everything can go wrong, and honestly it probably will. So lets talk 'Worst Case Scenario'."

"Um, Sam, worst case scenario is we all die."

"Shut up, Tucker, that's not what I meant."

* * *

Tucker woke up with a start, his alarm clock's glow lighting up the dim room. It was five in the morning. D-Day. 'Better get to work,' he thought. Throwing back his covers, Tucker slipped on his glasses. They were a new prescription, so they were a bit slimmer than before, but he'd gotten a squared frame for old times sake. Turning on the lights and wincing at their intensity, the teen ambled tiredly towards his closet. Hangers worth of clothes were shoved aside lazily, revealing a metal door set in the wall.

Tucker placed his hand on the scanner to it's right, half asleep still. It was all routine at this point. A yawn crept up on him as the safe gave a soft ping and swung open. He pulled out all the usual gear and reached toward the very back, where he'd stashed the equipment reserved for emergencies.

The techno-geek changed drowsily into a thick pair of gray jeans. He pulled on socks and sturdy brown boots. They were originally just plain leather, but Tucker had added steel to the front area and the soles. It had slight traces of ectoranium in it, so kicking away ghosts was made _way_ easier. He would wear them more often if t hadn't been for that one time he stepped on Danny's foot. He would have felt bad if it wasn't so funny to see him squeal and jump around on one leg for a solid minute. Feeling more awake than he had a few minutes prior, Tucker paused in front of the mirror to admire himself.

"_Damn_, me. You look _good_." He shot finger guns at his reflection and clicked his tongue.

Tucker had in fact drastically changed his look since freshman year. His favorite beret had been destroyed in a fight with Technus, and after a good, long mourning period, he'd decided to just grow out his hair. Now he wore it in a mop of short dreads. The red strap of fabric that was left of his lucky token was tied around his wrist, seeing as he'd been unwilling to part with it completely. He'd worn that hat for so long it felt wrong not to keep up the tradition in some form.

And after years of Sam's forced training, the geek was also very much proud of his greatly improved physique. He wasn't buff by any stretch of the word, but he was very much fit, with a definition to his muscles that had been hard won after years of training in hand to hand combat. Or as he called it, "getting beaten up by Sam on a regular basis". Looking at himself now, however, he was glad that she'd forced him to spar with her. He'd never looked better. Not that Tucker would ever admit that to her. She'd get _way_ too smug. Probably insist on more one-on-one sessions. The teen shuddered at the thought.

Turning from the mirror, Tucker threw on a yellow undershirt. He put his leather shoulder holster on and strapped it. It crossed tightly over his back and had a loop on each side for two slim ectoguns, buckling closed in the front. He pulled a loose flannel shirt out from a hangar and buttoned it to conceal the straps of his holster. Tucker rustled around through the clothes he'd shoved aside to pull out his favorite leather jacket. It was dark brown and had hidden pockets on the inside. Perfect for keeping his tech on him. Leaving it unzipped, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Tucker got out the belts he'd modified and slung and tied them around his waist. They were leather with a conductive wire on the inside that allowed it to work like the old Fenton Specter-Deflectors when he pressed a button on the side. Getting them to ignore Danny's ecto-signature without making them bulky and noticeable had taken up an incredibly frustrating week of his life. Thankfully, though, his efforts had paid off. All the belts had small pouches attached on the sides, which held vials of diluted blood blossom oil as well as spare knives and collapsible ecto-weapons.

The geeky teen placed a modified watch on his free wrist, tied a loose red handkerchief around his neck, and slung the backpack he'd prepared the night before over his shoulder.

Tucker left his room and made his way downstairs quietly, trying not to wake his parents. He got a sticky note from the kitchen counter and a pen and wrote a short note to his parents explaining that he'd gone over to Danny's place and not to worry, that he'd get breakfast there. He opened the front door and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. '_Off to Fentonworks_,' he thought.

* * *

Sam slowly drifted into consciousness, blinking drooping eyes at the dark ceiling above her. It took a while for her to consciously register the blaring alarm clock next to her. Groping blindly for the off switch, she smacked it into silence. Sam stretched out, her back arching and popping. Sighing in satisfaction, she claps the lights on in her room. Although she'd changed the scheme since freshman year to better fit with her new style, it had already grown familiar after two years.

Sam gets reluctantly out of bed and glances towards her neon orange alarm clock. Five in the morning. She groaned quietly. '_I am most certainly not a morning person_,' she thinks. Well, there was work to be done. Walking stiffly to her closet, she looked around blearily for a suitable outfit. She grabbed a pair of mint-green skinny jeans with small metal skulls studding the pockets and black thread along the seams. Sam slipped them on absentmindedly. Rummaging through her shirts, she grabbed a comfortable tank top in a mauve color. Remembering that she needed to get the other supplies ready, she turned around and made her way back to the bed.

Kneeling down to reach under the frame, she slid out a thick cast-iron chest. Groping for the key that lay on her night stand, she finally grabbed it and unlocked the intricately engraved box. She picked out the weaponry she needed and placed it on her mattress. Standing up, Sam brushed herself off and went back to her closet. She grabbed what looked like normal, black leather suspenders from the front and clipped them on with practiced ease. They actually were custom made to have a holster on the back that could hold almost any kind of weapon she owned. Sam grabbed the collapsible ectoplasm-powered assault gun and worked the mechanisms around so that it folded in on itself, then promptly slid it into its place on her back.

Sam, feeling slightly more awake after moving around moved back to her closet and grabbed a loose black jacket with laces the same color as her jeans, and slid on her thickest combat boots. The soles were made of two inches of rubber, with metal embedded on the toes and heel. Neon green studs and spikes lay on straps that wrapped around the boots. She slid on the leather gloves that Tucker had given her on her birthday last year. They were padded on the knuckles, which had short, but slim and sharp spikes made with an ectoranium alloy.

Sam packed all of the smaller weapons into hidden pockets throughout her person and slid her iron chest back under her bed. As she walked out of her room, the teen grabbed the backpack she'd prepared the previous night and clapped the lights off.

Sam made her way to her private bathroom. Brushing her teeth quickly, she splashed her face before drying off and put on her favorite matte, neon green lipstick. The ex-goth applied a bit of mint-green eyeliner and mascara, and satisfied with her efforts, began untangling the hair that she'd allowed to grow out the previous summer. She quickly made a messy bun and secured it with a bright purple scrunchie, slipping in a small utility tool too, having learned that when being stripped of weapons, none ever checked in her hair for them. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, taking a moment to appreciate the height she'd gained in what was probably her last growth spurt. Unfortunately Sam was the smallest of the trio, reaching only 5'6, where Danny was two inches shorter than Tucker's six foot frame.

Sam left the house through her window. Her parents were early risers and would be waking up in about half an hour at the latest. She wouldn't risk getting caught by going out the front door. Dropping onto the ground, Sam shifted her backpack and made her way to Fentonworks.

* * *

Danny woke up with a scream. Panting, he struggled to collect himself in the wake of his nightmare. He calmed down slowly, taking deep, wavering breaths. He kept an ear out to see if anyone had been disturbed by his shouting. A minute passed in silence; he was in the clear. The space-shuttle alarm clock by his bedside read five in the morning. Groaning, Danny phased through his sheets and floated across the room to flip on his light. Checking that his door was locked, Danny went to his closet to get some clothes for the day. He grabbed a pair of red skinny jeans, some socks, a white tank, and a change of underwear.

He phased through the wall leading to the bathroom that connected his sister's room to his. A warm shower later and Danny focused on turning the water on him intangible, feeling it fall through him to the shower floor instead. Grinning, Danny ran his hands through his, now dry, black hair and shook it so that it looked awesomely messy (Or "adorably" messy according to Sam, but Danny _wasn't cute_, dammit. He was _cool_).

He changed into his clothes and phased back into his room. The sun was only just starting to come up. Whoops. Danny must've been in the shower longer than he thought. His friends would be there soon, if they weren't already there. The teens sensitive ears picked up the buzz of conversation below on the first floor. His parents must have woken up by now. '_Damn my need to have long warm showers in the morning!_' thought Danny as he rushed over to his closet.

Danny pulled out a pair of sturdy dark green boots with white threads trimming it and brown laces that he quickly tied. He grabbed a couple of belts stocked with _tightly_ sealed flasks of powdered blood blossoms and various ecto-guns and knives. He put his two favorite ecto-pistols in the small of his back tucked in his jeans. He shrugged on a gray hoodie that Sam got him for his birthday (It had a small Danny Phantom logo on the bottom right. The irony was not lost on him) to cover the weapons. Danny grabbed the backpack he'd packed before going to bed last night and went downstairs, and was that breakfast he was smelling?


	2. Bacon and Wheat Waffles

**Frozen Yogurt**

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing already guys! It means a lot to me. And yeah, I'm rather liking this version better too :3 Again, I'm so sorry this went abandoned for so long. Promise that updates will happen at least once a month, what with finals coming up. Without further ado, the story.**

**Chapter 2: Bacon and Wheat-Waffles**

Danny got downstairs just as the bell rang.

"I'll get it!" he called out, opening the door to reveal a smiling Sam and Tucker.

The two teens walked in, dropping their backpacks against the wall of the entryway, Danny tossing his own bag alongside theirs.

Maddie popped her head through the entryway of the kitchen. "Oh, hey there you two. You're just in time for breakfast," she said fondly. Those two were over at Fenton Works so often it sometimes felt like they were _her_ kids.

The three sixteen-year-olds early sat at the round kitchen table. Maddie placed a few trays of waffles, bacon, and eggs. She turned around to get the orange juice and some cups as the teens dug in. Tucker moaned at the flavor.

"Your cooking is _fantastic_ Mrs. Fenton!"

Sam and Danny made noises of agreement as they shoveled food into their mouths. Sam smiled as she ate her waffles, which were wheat. Mrs. Fenton always remembered Sam's eating habits and planned out vegetarian plates accordingly. It was really sweet of the stay-at-home inventor.

Maddie, having finished setting up breakfast, sat down at the kitchen table across from the teens. Heavy thumps were heard as Jack came down the stairs.

"Mads, do I smell bacon?" he boomed excitedly.

"Yes, dear. Is Jazz up yet?"

Jazz entered the room just as her mother finished speaking. The college student wore a smart white button up, its sleeves pushed up above her elbows, and black slacks. Her hair was cut in a short bob, but her trademark aqua headband stayed put. A chorus of "good morning"s and "hey, Jazz"s came from the occupants of the table. After greeting everyone, Jazz ruffled Danny's hair good naturedly and pulled up a chair.

The room was mostly quiet outside the sound of chewing and noises of appreciation. That is, until Tucker broke the comfortable silence with a loud burp. The Fenton males chortled, while Sam and Jazz shot Tucker looks of amused disgust. Conversation flowed after that point, the adults asking about school and Jazz sharing college stories from the previous semester. She was glad to be able to spend time with her family now that she was on vacation. Eventually Danny pushed his chair back and went to clean his plate in the sink, his friends following suit.

"Thanks for the food, mom. It was great," Danny said over one shoulder as they left the kitchen.

"Yeah, thanks Mrs. Fenton," chorused Sam and Tucker.

As the teens made their way to the living room Danny let his parents know that they'd be waiting for the rest of the class in the lab.

"Alright, Sweetie. Be careful around the equipment," his mother shouted cheerfully from the other room.

The trio stopped to grab their bags before trekking down the stairs to the lab. His parents had cleaned it the night before, but even when supposedly tidy, the lab was a chaotic sight to behold. Glowing, half-finished experiments littered the tables. A large section of the wall was taken up solely by racks of ecto-weaponry, and a sleek metal vehicle was at the far end of the lab, parked just in front of the currently closed ghost portal. The ever-present eerie hum of the portal was like music to Danny's ears. He was the only one who could hear it though, as Sam and Tucker had never heard a thing. Jazz had suggested that his enhanced hearing had something to do with it.

Turning to his friends, Danny asked, "Did you pack everything?"

"Yep," said Tucker. "The whole works."

Sam nodded in confirmation. They all knew better than to leave things to chance when their classmates would very likely be put in danger.

* * *

The rest of Mr. Lancer's English class trickled in through the door, most of them carrying only a small backpack and lunch-box each. Jazz had joined them after a few minutes and the four of them kept watch to make sure nobody accidentally set off any of the more unstable experiments. Eventually Mr. Lancer himself came down the steps, followed by Danny's parents. Students milled around restlessly in groups through the lab, immediately forming into their cliques and exchanging gossip. Mr. Lancer cleared his throat, but no one took notice. After trying and failing multiple times to get the students under control, Maddie took pity on the teacher.

"_Children_," her sharp voice cut through the crowd and the teens fell silent. "Thank you. I ask that you line up in front of the Specter Speeder 4.0. That would be the large vehicle behind you. Quickly, please."

Mr. Lancer coughed awkwardly and thanked her, then made his way over to take attendance. Maddie shook her head in exasperation as she watched him go, then walked with her husband to the front of the crowd.

"Alright, then!" boomed Jack, getting everyone's startled attention. "Let's go over the safety precautions. Firstly, do not try to leave the vehicle at any time during the trip."

Jack continued talking, going over a series of increasingly redundant rules for several excruciating minutes before Maddie cut him off.

"To wrap this up, let me summarize. We will not be leaving the Specter Speeder for the duration of this trip, so feel free to get comfortable. The windows by your seats can be opened, but as we will be in the Ghost Zone, open windows will provide a means for aggressive entities to enter the cabin. As such, if any of you attempt to handle anything in the Speeder other than the incline of your seats, you may leave us open to attack from malevolent specters. Needless to say, do not touch anything"

At that, Kwan and Dash tried to discreetly send each other mischievous looks. However, they weren't subtle enough to avoid Mrs. Fenton's gaze, which narrowed in on them in hawk-like precision.

"And _rest assured_, if you have exposed us to attack by ghostly means and manage to remain unharmed, the perpetrators will_ not_ continue to be so lucky." The pointed look that the Fenton matriarch shot the teens had them gulping and silently rethinking their prank.

"Okay, everyone pile in! No time to waste!"

The high schoolers jumped at Jack's loud voice, finally scrambling into the vehicle. The students could be heard chattering nervously while finding their seating. As usual, there was a clear distinction between the preps and various other cliques in the seating arrangements. Mr. Lancer by the cockpit at the head of the Speeder that contained Maddie and Jack. The preps immediately claimed the middle seats, with Danny and his friends at the very back. The rest of their classmates had chosen to sit scattered throughout the cabin. Sam and Tucker nudged their friend into attention as Jazz walked in to the Speeder, sitting next to them across the aisle. The young woman shot her little brother a reassuring smile before explaining that she had volunteered as a chaperon.

Minutes had passed before the class was startled by the speakers above them crackling to life.

"_Attention, passengers! __W__e will now be entering the __G__host __Z__one, __so buckle up__!_"

There was silence in the room for less than a second before the excited buzz of roughly a dozen students started up louder than before. The Specter Speeder began humming, and hands flew to clutch at the arm holders as it began to hover about a foot off the ground. The trio exchanged resigned looks as it moved forward towards the portal. This was really happening, and they all knew this trip would inevitably end in disaster. Tucker, however, tried to put on a cheerful face and look on the bright side.

"Hey, cheer up, guys. Maybe we'll go unnoticed for the few hours we're in here." The looks that Sam and Danny shot him showed _exactly_ how likely that was to happen.

"Well, ex_cuse me_ for trying to be a little optimistic," he grumbled with arms crossed.

Students began shouting as the Specter Speeder moved forward to cross the bridge between dimensions. In moments the class had entered the warped reality of the Ghost Zone. Fascinated hands pressed up against the thick windows, eyes wide as they took in the endless neon green expanse and purple crags that loomed sharply above them in shattered islands. The hum of the Speeder was deafening in the awed silence. The teen hunters, however, didn't bother to admire the view, instead immediately beginning to scan their surroundings for any threats.

The awed looks on their peers' faces didn't last long. The Ghost Zone's terrain hardly got more interesting over the half hour they had traveled. Maddie and Jack hadn't said much, only broadcasting an observation or two for the benefit of those taking notes. The purpose of this trip was to observe new data on which to write a research paper, after all. Mr. Lancer had come up with the class assignment in order to find a "hip" and "radical" means for the students to learn. The bored expressions his students wore were clear indicators of exactly how effective a teaching method _that _had been.

Complaints had started up by now, Nathan having been the first to voice his boredom. It had only spread from him, with everyone but the trio needing to be periodically shushed by Mr. Lancer, who was also shifting in his seat and fidgeting with the pen he normally kept in his shirt pocket. The teacher wished once again that he'd brought a book to read.

Danny and his friends, however, didn't allow themselves the luxury of boredom, as they were all intently examining the Zone for any ghosts that wandered to close to the Speeder.

As the group of humans traveled deeper and deeper into the infinite depths of the spectral realm, in the distance, a white haired ghost lifted his head sharply, a predatory smile stretching his features as he sensed a piece of machinery emanating electricity as it traveled nearby. Whatever that was, it'd make a fine addition to his collection.

* * *

It'd been hours of watching the same landscape that they'd seen most every week for the last three years. Thankfully, as the elder Fentons didn't want to get lost, they'd traveled in a straight line, and had thus so far avoided seeing any of the floating doors that held the lairs of lesser-powered ghosts. Danny and Tucker hadn't torn their sight from the windows, and while Sam was all for erring on the side of caution, this was getting ridiculous.

"Do you guys want to play a card game?" Danny and Tucker turned to her slowly, the scandalized looks they wore startling Sam into giggling. Her hands flew up to her mouth immediately, but despite the warning look she gave her friends, Tucker and Danny's shock soon gave way for mischievous glee.

"Did you just _giggle_?"

"_No_."

"You _did_, you just giggled!"

"Shut _up_, Tucker!"

"_Aww_, Sammykins, that was so _cute_."

"Danny, I _swear_ if you say another word I'll-"

Their playful teasing was cut off as a puff of silvery smoke escaped Danny's mouth. Instantly alert, they went into action. Sam got up to let Danny out of the row, her hand going to the pocket containing her Fenton Wrist Rays. Tucker discreetly fingered a pocket on his belt, ready to snap out an ecto-pistol if need be.

"Daniel, where are you going?"

"Sorry Mr. Lancer, gotta go to the bathroom."

Danny ignored his teacher's exasperated sigh and ran to the lavatory in the back of the Speeder. Locking himself in, he concentrated on breathing deeply. His focus didn't waver as he felt like he was being tugged in two, and a moment later he had managed to create a clone. Even after years of being able to manage that feat, he still couldn't help the proud grin he wore.

His clone moved to leave the bathroom and take his seat as Danny shifted into ghost form. Not pausing for a second, he flew through the Speeder, morphing back just as quickly. He didn't want his parents to notice his ghost form on the radar.

Using his powers in his human form was second nature by now, and the energy he gave off while doing so would be masked by the Zone's natural energies. Flying invisibly, he scouted out the area, trying to pinpoint where he had sensed the ghost. Focusing as he was on sensing ghostly energy, he didn't notice the crackling bolt of electricity that zoomed below him towards the Speeder. Technus, not paying attention to anything but the shining technology in front of him, failing to realize that Phantom's energy clung to the vehicle. No matter how tempting the mechanical equipment, the technopath would sooner turn tail than provoke the halfa.

* * *

Finally figuring that his Ghost Sense was triggered by a passerby, Danny allowed himself to fade back into his clone.

"Nothing. As far as I can tell, it was a false alarm." Tucker and Sam relaxed their grips on their weapons, recognizing that their friend had shifted his consciousness back into this copy. He had spoken too soon however, as all of a sudden, the Speeder stopped in it's tracks. The comfortable humming of it's engine morphed into a high-pitched whine before fading. A neon green glow flickered around the walls of the vehicle ominously. Danny rubbed his neck sheepishly and shrugged at his glaring friends.

Yelling erupted from the cockpit where Maddie and Jack were seated, frantic cries of "Ghost!" and "Redirect the Emergency Power to the Weapons System!" reaching the ears of the students, who reacted by promptly stirring themselves into a panicked frenzy. The notion of being trapped inside a small metal space with a ghost was hardly a pleasant one.

The speakers came to life, glowing as they amplified a voice familiar to the trio. "IT IS I, TECHNUS! MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY AND- Is that who I think it is?"

Danny had stood up, flanked by his friends, all of them ready to defend their peers. They smirked as the previously invisible form of one of the undead technopath appeared in the center of the Speeder.

"...whoops."

And with that, Technus shifted into a crackling, sparking mass of lightning blue electricity and shot off towards safety of the Zone. Maddie burst through the door leading to the students, a glowing pistol in hand and ready to fire, but she had no target. The cabin soon descended into chaos as the class came to the realization that for the first time they had been in real danger from a ghost attack. They were in a foreign dimension filled with dangerous beings and had nowhere to go from where they were trapped in the Specter Speeder.

Cutting off the frightened and panicking students, Maddie forced herself to calm her heart rate, put on a no-nonsense look, and calmly intoned, "I understand that was frightening, but you need to calm down before anyone hyperventilates or hurts themselves. We are prepared to defend against any ghosts, but I doubt that the spook will come back." Her smooth yet firm tone brooked no argument, and soon the teens had calmed enough to descend into quiet conversations with their peers again. Seeing that the students were once again mostly calm, if not a bit subdued, the ghost hunter turned to join her husband in the cockpit once more.

"Jack, how are the engines looking?" she tersely inquired. Her husband glanced up from the panel in worry, knowing his wife well enough to hear the stress in her voice.

"The Emergency Power is holding us up for now, but," he paused, "Mads, we're running on fumes. We'll need to land. Whatever that ghost did, it bled the power dry from the Speeder." Her husband's serious and distressed tone conveyed how dire the situation was becoming.

Running a shaky hand through her hair, Maddie Fenton steeled herself. "We'll land on one of the nearby islands. Hopefully the engines will reboot if we hook up that new Ecto-Convertor to the power source and run it through the Emergency Power."

Jack nodded and got to work on redirecting some power outputs so they could save on energy. While they hadn't tested the prototype yet, it would have to do. They had no other options.

Maddie left the room to let the children know that they would be landing. The speakers no longer worked, so she'd have to put on a brave face again and let them know in person.

* * *

The trio sat down, while at first they were satisfied at the fact that no one had gotten hurt when Technus showed up, they soon realized that the Speeder was floating stationary rather than continuing forward.

"Maybe we're just pausing before turning back. You know your parents won't want to put any students in danger now that they know that ghosts can enter the Speeder."

"I don't know Tuck, I mean, we haven't moved at all. What if we're stuck?"

Exchanging uneasy looks, they all turned to Mrs. Fenton, who had just come in through the door. She might provide answers.

"Due to the mishap with the ghost a few moments ago, a small amount of power has drained from our reserves. We'll be landing on an outcropping soon to recharge the engines and then we'll be on our way back. There's no need to worry, and we'll all be back in the lab by the end of the day."

While Mr. Lancer and their peers let out sighs of relief, Team Phantom, including Jazz, read into what wasn't outright said. Maddie probably withheld information from them so that they wouldn't panic. It was possible that the Speeder was in much worse condition than she had let on. Regardless, there was nothing that they could do.

A few minutes after Maddie had gone back to the cockpit, the Specter Speeder began to descend. A smooth landing on a relatively flat island that connected to a familiar winding path of purple rock later, and they began to calm down. They hadn't _crashed,_ after all. Their surety drained away as moments after they landed, the hum of the engine died down, taking with it the lights and the power in the Speeder.

* * *

Jack exchanged a worried look with his wife. That was the last of the emergency power. Without that, they couldn't even start the Ecto-Convertor to attempt to get back enough power to make it home. Deciding that they could at least try, he reached down beneath the console to where they kept the prototypes, only to find himself empty handed.

"Uh, Mads? Did you remind me to put the Emergency Prototypes back in the Speeder after I cleaned it?"

His wife gave him an incredulous look.

"Jack, do you mean to tell me that you left our _only chance of getting back_ in the _lab_ because you _forgot to take inventory_? After I told you to do it _countless times this week_?" Maddie Fenton's voice was soft and sweet in a way that it only ever was when she was furious.

Gulping, Jack rubbed a hand on his neck sheepishly, and nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak and accidentally provoke his incredibly amazing and terrifying wife. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took deep breaths. A determined look crossed her face.

"I suppose we'll have to walk, then."

"...Mads, we can't just let the kids out there, it's too exposed. And there's no path that leads directly to the portal."

"We don't have a choice, Jack. We can't just stay here until we're attacked or we starve to death. I'll go out first to check the coast is clear."

After a moment, he nods and opens the window by the front. Maddie steps out, her feet touching the uneven ground. A minute passes with no incident. Taking out a scanner, she nodded in satisfaction that the area was clear of any condensed ectoplasmic energies that would signify a ghost. It was less sensitive to subtle energies as the scanner was being operated in the Ghost Zone, but it would do.

"We better tell the children to exit the Speeder. There's a path here. We should follow it, see if it leads anywhere useful." She figured that if they came across a ghost or its lair, they could capture it and see if their obsession had prompted them to collect something that they could use to help them get back. Explaining her reasoning to Jack, he agreed to get the children out.

* * *

Past the moments of panic of the Speeder shutting down, the students eventually spread out on the ground in small groups and pulled out lunch. Munching on a sandwich, Dash smugly declared, "Ha! I bet I can take on any ghosts that show up! I bet that they're all hiding until I get back to the human world. They wouldn't mess with The Baxter."

"Uh, Dash, I don't think we're getting back through the Speeder. It looks kinda dead."

"Duh, Kwan. Didn't you hear Mrs. Fenton say that they'd be recharging the power. It'll be back on in no time."

Unconvinced, Kwan looked over to the strange bus, seeing Mr. Lancer looking shocked and worried as he spoke with the elder Fentons. Star, his girlfriend, put a hand on his shoulder. Somewhat comforted, he turned back to the group and Dash's boasting.

* * *

"Gather round, everyone!_ Now_." At first, no one recognized the strong voice that brooked no argument. But once they turned to see Mr. Lancer, standing there with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow, they quickly gathered. He'd never sounded so authoritarian before. Maddie shot him an impressed look as he continued speaking.

"There's been a malfunction in the vehicle, so we'll be walking back to our world. Grab your stuff and let's get moving. We'll be following Mr. and Mrs. Fenton."

Hands shot into the air to ask just what was going on, and despite having questions shouted at him by a group of distraught teenagers, Mr. Lancer remained firm. Eventually, the concerned and agitated students lined up by the elder Fentons, backpacks in hand.

"Stay together, we'll be taking roll call every half hour. Don't wander off the path, we don't know what could happen if you fall."

Team Phantom, who had been worriedly discussing their options at the back of the group, put greater distance between themselves and their peers. At least Sam had recognized the path as one leading to Dora's realm. It'd be a safe haven. That is, if they could manage to survive the journey there.


	3. Half A Sandwich

**Frozen Yogurt**

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews and support. I can't believe I've gotten over a hundred views in only a day. You guys are the best! So here's Chapter 3, and I hope you all enjoy it :)**

**Chapter 3: Half A Sandwich**

"How long until we reach Dora's domain?"

"I dunno, Sam. At the rate we're at, it'll probably take us a few days."

"_Damn it_. Their food won't hold out. We'll need to show our supplies. They'll start asking questions about us. My parents will ask questions about _me_."

"Calm down, dude. We'll do what we have to."

"Tucker's right, Danny. The last thing we need is them paying too much attention to us, but we can hardly let them starve. We take everything as it comes, so just relax."

The pleading look that she had shot him succeeded in relieving some of his tension. Danny's shoulders visibly slumped.

"It's gonna be a _long_ walk."

Their peers undoubtedly agreed with Danny's statement. Jazz, who was up front near her parents, had taken the brunt of the complaints, as everyone was too afraid of Maddie Fenton to bother her or her husband. Especially when they looked so solemn as they led the procession of students.

"_My feet hurt_. And Paulina looks like she'll pass out any second. Can't we just sit down for a bit?"

"Yeah! My legs are sore. And I'm _really hungry_."

"Hey, don't ignore us, Fenton! We're _ti__ii__red_!"

If Jazz heard one more whiny complaint come from the rag-tag group of teenagers, she was going to jump off the path. Unable to take it any more, she finally gave in and caught up with her parents.

"Mom, Dad, people are complaining. They're exhausted and wanted to know if we could take a break from walking soon. Can we?"

"Sure, Jazzypants. We could spare ten minutes. Right, Mads?"

Maddie looked down the path, which extended forward with no visible end in sight. Sighing, she gave in.

"_Well_... alright, I'm sure ten minutes wouldn't hurt. But no more than that."

Thankful that she'd have reprieve from the incessant complaints, Jazz loudly told everyone to put their stuff down and that they'd stop here for a ten-minute rest. Sighs of relief were ignored by her as she made towards her little brother and his friends. She hadn't talked to them about the plan yet, and could only hope that they _had_ one.

* * *

"Children, how exactly have you managed to eat _all _of your food already?" Maddie Fenton was clearly distressed, refusing to think about rations and slow starvation. She felt a headache coming on.

"If anyone has any food left, please bring it forward so we can take inventory. We'll need to have rations from now on so that we don't go hungry."

"Uh won't rations kinda _make us_ hungry?"

"Shut up, Dash," bit out Paulina, who was very tired and not at all in the mood for Dash's usual comments, thank you very much.

Team Phantom had in the meantime stood up, bringing forward roughly thirty sandwiches in total. At the incredulous looks they received, they just shuffled their feet.

"Uh, I get really hungry, sometimes?" offered Tucker uncertainly.

The rest of them said nothing, avoiding looking at everyone, and they made their way to the back of the group again to sit down. Surprisingly, no one said anything. While Jack and Maddie were certainly confused, they were willing to let it go for the moment.

"Okay, then. Anyone else?"

A few more students came forward with snacks and a sandwich or two.

"This should last us a while if we do this right," said Maddie. " We'll each eat half a sandwich twice a day. We can't afford to eat much more than that."

The implications of that statement were not lost on the teens, who soon realized that they might be stuck in the Ghost Zone for days, or maybe even longer. There was a quiet moment as they all tried not to panic. It was broken by the sounds of shuffling as they saw Mr. and Mrs. Fenton motion for them to get moving again and they packed their belongings.

It was only minutes later that anything broke the silence. Team Phantom greatly wished that nothing had.

"Humans! Humans in the Ghost Zone!" the echoing voice caught the attention of the group.

It was one of Walker's goons, and the officer looked immensely pleased to have found them. He'd get a promotion for sure. The trio immediately ran towards him, ready to take him down no matter the consequences, their actions unnoticed by Valerie and the elder Fentons, who had moved to do the same. The officer had turned tail and flown in what the teens knew to be the direction of Walker's Prison.

"Oh god, we're so screwed," moaned Tucker. The rest of Team Phantom couldn't help but agree.

"Listen up, everyone!" Danny had moved to the center of the group, getting the attention of everyone, teen and adult alike.

"We have only minutes before we'll have a small army upon us, so we need to _move_! If we don't run or hide _ASAP_, we're going to get caught in the middle of a bloodbath."

"Danny, slow down. What are you talking about, sweetie?"

His eyes were frantically surveying the area, "Mom, I'll explain later, but right now I need you to trust me and get everyone in a defensive position, _right now_. It's too late to run, so we'll have to take a stand."

She looked over at Jack, who was equally as lost as her.

"Mom, please. Just trust me."

To her credit, Maddie Fenton hesitated only for a moment before she hid her uncertainty and nodded at her panicking son.

"Everyone, put your things in a pile in the center. Form up around it, if you have anything to defend yourself with, take it out. Stay close to each other, and run if Jack or I say so."

While nobody was really taking Danny seriously, his mother was a different story altogether. They rushed to obey, and had huddle around their things. It wasn't a moment too soon, as they saw what looked like a cloud of green was coming at them. The members of Team Phantom readied themselves for a fight, their hands reaching for their weapons, though not yet taking them out.

Someone shrieked as they realized that the ominous cloud was really a small legion of guards much like the one they had seen barreling towards them, a smirking figure in white at the lead. And then Valerie did something that absolutely no one expected. She called on her suit.

Gasps erupted around her as she moved to stand beside the elder Fentons. Before anyone could say anything, she spoke to the group gaping at her.

"Yes, I'm the Red Huntress. Now isn't the time for questions. I refuse to stand by helplessly right now, even if it costs me my secret"

Danny, though still shocked, had a brief, guilty thought that Valerie was much more selfless than he'd thought, and what did that mean, that he'd still not planned on revealing his own identity even now. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focuses again on the approaching ghosts. Sam had tossed off her hoodie, leaving her weapons exposed and with easy access to them. Tucker had done the same with his flannel shirt, his holsters in clear sight. Danny followed suit. No one noticed, too focused on the imposing army.

"Daniel Fenton, once again, you've broken the rules."

Walker led his forces right up to Danny and his friends. They moved forward, bodily shielding their classmates.

"Fly away, Walker. We don't want trouble," Sam attempted to diffuse the situation.

"Trouble is all you punks bring to the Zone. Get em' boys!"

The trio whipped out pistols, firing at Walker, but he stepped back into the swarm, laughing darkly. They were forced to back up closer to their classmates, firing nonstop, but most of their shots hit. The Fentons and Valerie, though shocked beyond belief at their actions, cleared their heads and joined the fight. Maddie would be yelling at Danny for endangering himself later.

The ecto-guns soon became useless as the goons got near enough that close-combat was the only option. The exception was Valerie, who flew above the ghosts on her hoverboard to fire at them. She hovered near the students, firing at any who got too close and doing what she could to thin the horde.

Danny had whipped out an ecto-staff, his face contorted in a snarl as he cut through ghosts with every powerful sweep of his arms. Sam, who's preferred wrist rays had been destroyed, pulled out her knives. Coated in blood blossom oil, every slice to a goon was a death sentence. Seeing that one of the goons was about to fire at Tucker's exposed back, she sprinted towards Danny, who boosted her up, leaping off him, she cried out in fury and buried her stiletto knives in the ghost's chest. It dissolved in an agonized scream.

Tucker spared her a grateful look, then turned back to shock one of the goons into dissolving. The El-ecto-fier was his own invention, based off of what Danny said the Plasmius Maximus did. It sent a strong current of electricity and ectoplasmic energy into a ghost, shocking the more powerful and dissolving the weaker specters. A piercing shriek was heard as Sam went down, being caught in one of the goons' shocking restraints. Danny ran to free her, but was beaten by Jazz, to the surprise of the students who huddled still by their belongings.

With a war cry befitting a viking berserker, Jazz came at the glowing guard with the steel gauntlets that never left her person, always kept in her large purse. She knocked him up the jaw with a punch that made a resounding crack, stomping on Sam's restraints. She dragged Sam back to safety, as she'd gone limp in unconsciousness.

The elder Fentons were a sight to see, as they fought as seamlessly as their son and his counterparts. Jack shot down those who came from above and afar, leaving Maddie to pounce and tear apart the ones withing reach. But with a cry, Tucker and Jazz were downed by a pile of goons.

"_TUCKER! JAZZ!_"

They were being overrun, down three fighters. Valerie, who had been watching Danny fight whenever she could spare a second, was very impressed. Not to mention feeling foolish for breaking up with him on the basis that he couldn't defend himself, which was obviously not the case. But what was done was done, and Valerie brought herself back to the present. Steering her hoverboard down and clearing some space, she motioned for Danny to jump on.

With two people firing at them from above, the few remaining who held down Sam and Tucker were shot down, but they were already knocked out. Danny scanned the purple crag beneath them for any blood that belied a head wound but saw none.

The elder Fentons were injured, Maddie sparing only a moment to wrap a gash on her arm as her husband covered her, and Jack had done the same with his shoulder. They barely slowed in their firing, but it was enough for a sudden mob of goons that had appeared and restrained the struggling hunters.

Danny and Valerie held up to the assault of what seemed to be reinforcements, but only because they were in the air. Unfortunately, they could fly as well. They retreated closer to the students, willing to fight to their last breath to keep them safe, but then Walker sauntered out from behind some goons.

Before they could attack him, he produced a small container. With a smirk, he clicked open the top and released a thick gas.

"Cover your mouths!"

Danny's warning came too late, as those who had up until then remained conscious felt themselves sway. Black spots danced in their vision as the felt themselves fall to the ground. The last thing they knew was a deep cackling and white boots walking past them.

* * *

Valerie Grey woke feeling exposed. Her armor was gone, faded back to where ever it was when not in use. Groaning, she rubbed at her head. What the hell happened? As she sat up and saw her classmates, it all came rushing back to her. She jumped to her feet, and upon seeing bars she rushed them, yelling "Let us out, you filthy, half-witted- _oomph!_" Upon touching the bars she'd been shocked and launched back by the force of it.

Not in a hurry to try that again, she glared at the cell that held her and the rest of the group. She rushed over to the injured, seeing that Maddie and Jack were just coming to.

"Are you alright Mr. Fenton? Mrs. Fenton?"

"We're fine, Valerie. Do you have any idea why we're in a cell?"

"We're in the human wing of Walker's Prison. The unwilling domain of the Ghost Zone's most notorious criminals." They turned to look at Danny's known punk girlfriend.

Sam who had been laying slumped by the wall, winced as she propped herself to a vertical stand.

"And how exactly do you know that, young lady?" Maddy Fenton interjected, but her firm question went answered by the unexpected spirit who appeared on the other side of the bars.

"Because she, along with her punk friends, are sentenced to a collective 9,000 years here." Walker's smug words were met with twin glares in Tucker and Sam. The former who had been collecting himself off to the side, fingers running through his dreadlocks for the lock pick he knew to be in there. He was forced to stop when Walker had shown up.

"Wait, _what?_" Dash shrunk back as the ghost's attention focused on him briefly, already regretting having spoken up.

"I'm glad you asked, _punk_. Daniel Pha-"

Jazz had taken a threatening step forward, her eyes promising pain if he continued that sentence. Walker denied any fear, and especially denied thoughts of the last time he'd been on the receiving end of that look and his consequent two months of slow recovery. He also denied having gulped at said thoughts.

"Daniel _Fenton_ has been deemed guilty of trespassing, defying the Warren, resisting arrest, destruction of Ghostly Property, _assault_ on the Warren, directly causing 8 riots and consequent prison breaks, indirectly causing _countless_ more riots and prison breaks through example, fraternizing with known escaped convicts, bringing in unlawful human contraband to the Ghost Zone, and _existing_. He has a sentence of 3,000 years"

"_Oh my god_," said Paulina after a brief silence. The shocked stares of the others in the room were agreement enough.

Pleased at the reaction, Walker went on.

"Sam Manson is responsible for and deemed guilty of trespassing, defying the Warden, resisting arrest, destruction of Ghostly and Prison property, assault on the Warden, directly causing 2 riots, fraternizing with known escaped convicts, aiding and abetting said convicts, setting fire to the _entire left wing_ of the Prison," that, to Sam's smug delight, was said through gritted teeth, "existing within the Ghost Zone, and preventing the re-capturing of an escaped convict on more than 3 occasions. She is sentenced to 3,000 years."

"Tucker Foley has been judged guilty of defying the Warden, assaulting the Warren, aiding and abetting escaped convicts, replacing all of the furniture in the Warden's office with _holograms_ of aforementioned furniture-"

Here Tucker looked incredibly proud, and Sam and Jazz shot him impressed looks, not having known about that. He gave a sarcastic bow to his peers, to Walker's obvious displeasure.

"- indirectly causing injury to the Warden, existing in the Ghost Zone, and teaching a dead language to the inmates, resulting in the discussion of escape plans in an obscure, unintelligible tongue. He is sentenced to 2,000 years."

"Jasmine Fenton-"

Jack and Maddie looked incredibly alarmed at that, paling further than they had at hearing what Danny had been up to in the Ghost Zone, when he had been expressly forbidden from doing so.

"- is guilty of assaulting the Warden, and aiding and abetting known escaped convicts. She is sentenced to 1,000 years."

"So you see, these punks deserve to be behind bars, Daniel Fenton most of all."

"Speaking of Danny, _where'd you take him_?" Tucker growled out his question, incredibly protective of his friend.

Satisfied that he'd dealt the Ghost Kid a solid blow in his identity by revealing his history with the Warden, Walker had already turned to walk away. Without looking back, he simply answered, "The Pit."

Sam and Tucker blanched, feeling sick.

* * *

Danny woke to a pitch-black expanse. Everything ached. Getting to his feet, he rubbed at his neck with his arm, the nervous tick bringing the cuff on his wrist to his attention. Unable to see a thing, he tried to enhance his vision with his powers, but found himself unable to. Of course, inhibitor cuffs.

He stumbled through the dark, groping blindly and waving his arms back and forth. Which is how he managed to slice his palm on cool metal. Wincing audibly, he grabbed at his bleeding hand. Trying to focus his eyes and see what it was that he'd hurt himself, the bleak darkness gave way to a wispy grayscale. With that, Danny saw saw the massive spike that was only a few inches from his eye.

Jumping back with a yelp, he realized that there were countless spikes on the wall in front of him. A quick look over his shoulder confirmed the same for the wall behind it. So, he was in the infamous pit. It was the only thing the inmates feared. Being sent to The Pit was a death sentence, as all who were sent here had their powers neutralized. Danny knew that soon the walls would start moving and closing in on him. These metal spike were said to burn ghosts with a touch. But right now, Danny wasn't a ghost.

Setting his shoulders, Danny determinedly walked towards the wall of spikes. With no time to waste, he began to climb.

* * *

"_Samantha Manson_, you tell me what my son is going through _right now_."

Despite the difficulty of it, she managed to ignore the frantic woman who was more of a mother to her than her biological mom ever was, Sam turned to the rest of the group. They looked horrible, their clothes torn and dirty, exhaustion and stress written in their faces. They were kids in the same way that Danny was before the accident, and Sam knew that they shouldn't have to see the things that they'd already seen.

"Listen up. Here's the plan. We'll be taken to the mess hall soon. The inmates know us, and we'll vouch for you to keep them from causing trouble with you. Don't insult any of them and everything will go a lot smoother. There'll be a prison break during the lunch time. I'll go to find Danny while Tucker leads the rest of you to the exit."

Seeing that Maddie was about to object, Sam raised a hand to cut her off. "Mrs. Fenton, you don't know the layout of the prison, and slowing me down in finding Danny could cost us dearly if he's injured. I'll find Danny and you'll be able to see him much sooner than if you or Mr. Fenton accompanied me."

"Any questions?" asked Tucker. "No? Good. Get some rest, it'll be a bit before the prison break and you'll need your strength to run."

The group was still in shock, of the kind where so many unexpected things happened in such a short time that one became detached until they had the time to slow down and process it all. But they all had the time to wonder the same thing. Where was Danny?

* * *

The group of humans were jolted awake by a guard clanging on the bars. Sam and Jazz shot Tucker a glare, as it was his turn to stay awake and keep watch. Laughing sheepishly, he shrugged. What could he say, he was tired. The group was led to the mess hall by an armed guard. Walker was apparently taking no chances in keeping them in line. He was noticeably absent from their guard, though, the coward.

As soon as they reached the large cafeteria, the teens could feel Jack and Maddie's tangible efforts not to attack any of the dozens of ghosts scattered around the room. Foregoing the lunch line, Sam and Tucker made towards the center table, the unspoken table of Team Phantom. They were in the prison often enough that while it wasn't exclusively theirs, it was the only one they sat at, for strategic reasons.

Familiar figures were already seated there, but Tucker and Sam sat down there anyways, the rest of the group hesitating but ultimately sitting beside them gingerly.

"Sup, Skulker. Ghost Writer, Kitty, good to see you guys."

"Likewise, child. Long time no hunt," greeted Skulker in his usual manner, the other two nodding their hellos to Sam and Jazz as well.

"So Skulker, how are you and Ember doing? I heard she's started touring in playing some concerts in Europe lately," despite how stressed she was, Sam was genuinely curious, as she and some of the other ghost girls had struck up a sort of pseudo-friendship over the years. She'd still fight them alongside her friends when they wrecked havoc, but they were all equally as likely to head to a coffee shop to catch up and chat.

"We're doing great," said the metal specter, always glad to speak to the more pleasant of the Ghost Child's friends. "I got her the amplifier that the Ghost Child suggested for her anniversary. Needless to say she loved it. Perhaps I'll hold off the hunt for a few weeks in thanks."

Jazz meanwhile, was in a deep conversation with Ghost Writer about her thesis on Ghost Core Growth. He'd been helping her on the structure of it a few months back and inquired as to her progress. Jack found himself listening in to the conversation despite himself. He hadn't known that Jazzy had been studying ghosts. He'd be more proud if he wasn't so busy worrying for his son.

Kitty, to the surprise of no one, had taken immediately to the preppy girls. "Why so quiet ladies? Nevermind that actually, it's just great that there're some gals to gossip with for once. _Pariah_, prison is so boring without Ember and Spectra." And with the promise of gossip, however alien the concept of gossiping about ghosts was, the teen girls perked up and were soon caught in an animated discussion with Kitty on the merits of mascara with thinner than usual bristles.

After a few minutes however, Tucker got everyone's attention. "We need to get down to business. The guards will be changing shifts in a few minutes, so they're distracted. Now is the time to strike. Skulker, would you mind?"

A grin spread on the ghostly robot's face. "Whelp, it would be my pleasure." He stood up from the table and strode purposefully towards a nearby ectopus. He snatched it up and held it over his head.

"RIOT!" he bellowed, tossing the screeching ectopus at a nearby ghost known for his anger issues. Within seconds, the room was a war zone, shouts, food, and ghost flying through the air. The prison guards had been caught at a bad time, and they scrambled to get the riot under control, forgetting to watch the exits.

Tucker was sure that Skulker could handle himself, especially since Tucker had handed him a spare ecto-gun under the table. He'd hidden the tiny pistol in his boot that morning, and figured that Skulker could use the extra firepower to blow up the wall later, in exchange or helping them break out and not attack them. Secure in that knowledge, he focused instead on the living.

He quickly got the attention of his classmates. "Alright, let's move. Follow me, don't worry about the guards, they can't actually touch you in here. Something about the frequencies in Walker's Prison. Now, run." And he took off, Sam breaking off from the group at full speed to find Danny.

* * *

He'd been halfway up the spikes when the walls began moving. His sweaty, bleeding palms were stinging and covered in small cuts from where his grip had slipped. Danny tried hard not to panic, moving even faster at the risk of falling to what would probably be his death.

Minutes passed too quickly for his liking, and he was nearly at the top when he turned to see the other wall of spikes was only a foot away and steadily getting closer. He gulped and kept going, and the excitement he felt as his fingers touched the roof was short lived.

Oh yeah, the roof. The roof that was his only way out and that he had no idea how to open. Despite his best efforts Danny started to hyperventilate. _Pariah_, he might _die_ here. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the roof slid open with a screech, the bright light that flooded the pit blinding Danny and nearly making him lose his grip. So grateful he was that someone had come to his rescue, he forgot to keep moving. As sharp metal pressed against his back, he had time to think '_Aw, crap_,' before Sam came to his rescue once more and tugged him out bodily.

Panting heavily, Danny lay there for a few seconds before Sam was tugging him to his feet and pulling him at a run towards the exit. He stumbled, still trying to catch his breath as he ran with her.

"Are the … *_puff puff_* … others … *_huff_* … safe?" he wheezed.

"They're on their way out as we speak," she replied instantly, to used to his "saving-people thing" to comment on it further.

"Good."

* * *

Tucker had led the others through the secret exit, rushing them towards the bushes off by the border of the island. There was often a natural portal there, as they formed near large concentrations of ectoplasmic energy, and Walker's Prison was such a place. Unfortunately, they tended to lead to other areas of the Zone rather than the Human World. But beggars couldn't be choosers, so he began the hard task of convincing jaded ghost hunters, teenagers, and a teacher to jump through an ominous glowing portal that led through places unknown.

As Star had finally screamed in frustration at the bickering, she jumped into the portal herself. The rest of the A-List exchanged looks, shrugged, and jumped in afterwards. Soon, only Maddie and Jack refused to jump in, insisting over and over that they weren't going anywhere until they saw Danny.

Thankfully, that's when Sam and Danny came running towards them, loaded with carrying their supplies and weapons in their arms, followed by the massive, towering form of Walker, who was roaring in fury at their yet again successful prison break.

"Okay, you saw Danny, time to go." And he pushed the startled Fentons into the portal, and seeing that his friends were right behind him, he hopped in too.

Rolling to break his fall, Tucker didn't bother checking his surroundings, waiting for his friends to tumble through the portal be fore firing at it with a ecto-gun he snatched quickly from Sam's arms. The portal immediately overloaded and sealed itself, leaving Walker on the other side.

Tucker turned to his best friend, who stood unsteadily in front of his family and peers.

"Err, I guess I have some explaining to do." Danny's parents stood unwavering in front of him, clearly waiting for him to continue.

The poor bastard.


	4. Cujo

**Frozen Yogurt**

**A/N: I'm overjoyed at the reactions this story has gotten! Your reviews are so sweet, thank you everyone! And with that said, I give you … [dramatic pause] … _Chapter 4_.**

**Chapter 4: Cujo**

Silence reigned in the room as Danny's parents stared speculatively at him, he having finished weaving a tale of half-truths and small lies that explained the actions of him and his friends.

"Do you mean to tell us that you and your friends have been breaking curfew, training yourselves to the brink of exhaustion, sneaking regularly into the _one_ place that your mother and I have expressly forbidden you from entering, and ending up bruised and battered almost _every day_ for the last _three years_, so you could _ghost hunt?_"

Unsure if that was a rhetorical question, he nodded anyways. Jack's stern face suddenly broke into a wide grin.

"So you've gone into the family business after all!" Jack moved to his startled son and gave him a bear hug. "_Atta' boy_, Danny!"

"Um, thanks Dad."

Letting go of his son, Jack kept smiling as he said, "No need to thank me son, you're still grounded."

Danny's shoulders slumped as he grumbled that he'd figured they wouldn't let him off that easy.

Meanwhile, Maddie turned to face Valerie, who had so far been glad to avoid her attention.

"And _you_, young lady. Don't think you're off the hook. Come on, you and I are going to have a little _talk_ about why you thought it was a good idea to hunt ghosts without professional training."

Valerie followed Mrs. Fenton off to a nook near the back of the small cave they were in, looking more miserable than a soaked cat.

The trio, having recognized the small craggy cave they were currently inhabiting, got together to talk. Sam absentmindedly wrapped her boyfriend's injured hands in spare gauze as they thought on the situation. They were considerably closer to Dora's kingdom now, but there was no way they could walk the entire distance without getting ambushed. Since the group of humans had been spotted at Walker's prison, the majority of the Ghost Zone was probably aware of them by now, and would be keeping an eye out for them. A few hours later and they hadn't made an inch of progress. Tuckers PDA had sent a notification, letting them know they were now on Day 2 of their trip. The trio was getting desperate.

"We'll have to find a way to get word to Dora that we're stranded. If we step out onto the path, we'll be mobbed in minutes. Got any ideas?" Sam tried again, looking frustrated with herself for her own lack of ideas.

Danny and Tucker just looked hopelessly at her, at a loss on what to do. That was, until Danny overheard Dash commenting that he missed Pookie, his chihuahua. Dogs, that was it!

The youngest Fenton got to his feet somewhat unsteadily, still exhausted from climbing out of The Pit. Ignoring his friends' questioning looks, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and let off a piercing whistle. The others' hands flew up to cover their ringing ears.

"The _hell_ was that for, Fentonio?!"

"Yeah, you scared the crap out of me!"

Danny paid them no heed, looking at the mouth of the cave expectantly, Sam and Tucker shushing their peers, having already caught on to what Danny was doing. A deep rumbling sound came to their attention, the ground shaking and causing small, purple pebbles to bounce around the floor of the cave. The trio were the only ones unphased, the rest of them beginning to lose their cool.

The source of the noise was shown to be an enormous glowing dog, resembling a rottweiler, whose red eyes and large stature sent the elder Fentons into a frenzy to grab weaponry. While Danny stood confidently ahead of everyone else, it soon came to their attention that the canine was clearly headed for him. Which was decidedly not a good thing in the eyes of the Fenton patriarch.

With the zeal and competence he reserved for when his family was in danger, Jack Fenton strove forward and moved Danny behind him. Seeing that his dad was inhaling deeply, Danny recognized that he was probably about to unleash a war cry and attack his dog.

"_No_, Dad! Don't attack him!"

"Danny, that thing is charging straight at you, so stay _behind_ me. I've seen you get hurt too many times today, now _let me take down this ghost_," his tone brooked no argument, but Danny tapped into a bit of his ghostly strength to push past him and out into the Zone. Jack was astonished at the strength his son had just displayed, though with the amount of times Danny had surprised him that day, he should be beyond that by now.

"Oh _Cujo_,"crooned Danny, "_Sit._"

The massive dog was only a few feet away when he plopped down on the dusty purple earth. The group gaped widely as the terrifying ghost lolled its tongue out of its mouth and wagged its tail excitedly. To their increasing disbelief, it shrunk down considerably until it was only about twice the size of a normal rottweiler, rather than being large enough to cast a shadow over the entire cave.

"Dad, meet Cujo. Cujo meet Dad."

Jack was at a loss as the ghost gave him a cheerful bark. That's when he noticed the nametag. On the dog's studded collar was a small bone-shaped tag reading, '_Cujo. If lost, return to Mattingdom_'.

Valerie looked curiously at the dog she had once held so much hate for. It'd been years since that thing had cost her father his job. But ever since Danielle, Phantom and her had struck a truce. A fragile one, that had almost been struck off when she saw him playing with that dog again.

After she'd calmed down from that fight, thanks mainly to Dani, who'd been crashing at her apartment that week and had tagged along with her that evening, Phantom had finally explained why that ghost had done what it did. It took long months for her to let go of that particular grudge, but by now, Valerie had no intentions of attacking it, though she preferred that the specter stay far away from her unless absolutely necessary.

Eventually Maddie, who'd been struck silent at the sight of the unexpectedly obedient dog, shook off her astonishment and turned to her son.

"Danny, just _why_ did you call a giant ghost dog to us? And who is Mattingdom?"

"Cujo's an old friend of mine. Now that he knows where we are, he can get some help for us. And Mattingdom isn't a who, it's a _where_. And it's the place where we'll be granted food, beds, and a way home."

"Danny, you can't just rely on a stray dog to understand commands that complicated, especially a ghost. How do you know you can even trust it? And that goes for this strange settlement you're talking about, too. If it's a ghost lair it'll be too dangerous." A bit uncertainly, she went on, "Won't it?"

The trio looked at each other. Maddie must seriously be shaken by the events of the day if she was seriously willing to reconsider even a small aspect of her perspective on ghosts. Even if it was only a slight attempt, Danny marked it down as progress and a step closer to him being comfortable with telling his family about his ghost half.

"Look Mom, ghosts are a lot more, well, _human_ than you make them out to be. I've known Cujo since Freshman year, and not once has he tried to hurt me. Sam and Tucker can attest to that."

Technically this was true, as Cujo had never tried to hurt anyone, but rather they were in the way of his squeaky toy and were thus not-so-gently moved from his path. He was hardly malicious.

"And as for Mattingdom, we found it by accident years ago and were welcomed with open arms. They've been nothing but hospitable to us."

Despite looking unconvinced, once the trio brought up that the leader of the kingdom owed Danny a favor, and that ghosts took their debts very seriously, Maddie finally gave the go ahead on sending Cujo off.

"Alright, Cujo!"

The glowing dog jumped to its feet, immediately bounding around Danny in excitement.

"Find Dora, Cujo! Fetch Dora!"

And with that, he was running, a speck in the distance within seconds.

"I'm still not convinced that that dog of yours is smart enough to understand what you're asking of it."

Valerie, who had been listening in, much like the rest of her classmates and the incredibly un-subtle Mr. Lancer, had to disagree. She'd fought alongside Phantom countless times over the years, and whenever that dog was there, it was uncannily receptive to his commands, to the point where she wouldn't be shocked if that thing were fully capable of understanding human speech. And despite that, Phantom would always talk to it in this really annoying baby-voice. Kind like Danny did. Huh.

"You'll see," Danny said assuredly, "But it'll be a while until he's back, so I'm gonna head back inside before we're spotted."

* * *

"So this is why you've been so distant all these years."

Valerie glanced up from the craggy floor.

"Yeah, you've got me there," she smiled weakly at her once friend.

"Three _years_, Val. Three years where you've barely spoken a word to me. We've been friends since we were kids. I wouldn't have _cared_ that you're some kind of hovering ghost vigilante," she spoke evenly but her watering eyes were full of betrayal. To have her closest friend just drop her like she was a nobody stung her more than anything ever had before.

"Don't you think I _know_ that. I cared about you more than anyone, and staying away from you hurt like a bitch. But if you'd known that I was the Red Huntress, you would've tried to help me. It's _dangerous_, Star. Some of the ghosts know who I am. Who I _really_ am. And they'd be powerful enough to hurt anyone close to me. I couldn't do that to my," she hesitated, taking a deep breath, "my _best friend_".

Star sniffled. A moment passed before she conceded, "Yeah, okay. And while _any_ reason to suddenly stop talking is a stupid reason, that wasn't too dumb of one. But now that I know what's up, you're not getting rid of me again, Grey. You got that?"

Trying to wipe her eyes discreetly, Valerie nodded. Giving Star a genuine smile she said, "I think I'd like that."

Trying to make her friend laugh, Star said, "Well, there's one thing you did right by the Red Huntress. That original outfit was cute as _hell_." She smirked in victory as Valerie chuckled.

"I missed you."

"Yeah, I missed you too."

* * *

Dash looked over at Fenton and his friends. He hadn't talked to them much in the last two years. He needed that sports scholarship, which meant he had to have a clean record. So his days of picking on Fentonio and company were for the most part over. As a group, the A-List tended to ignore the trio. While they'd been easy pickings in freshman year, they'd seemed _different_ somehow later on.

Dash knew he wasn't overly smart. It was something that bothered him a lot. But he was smart enough to know that whatever business those three got into was better left alone. He still watched them, the same way all the other kids did. They were the mystery that was left unsolved because no one could bother to care enough about solving it.

The most that they'd known about their business was that Danny and Sam had a relationship that was enviable in the extreme. Looking over at them now, he saw Sam leaning against Fenton, while the three friends whispered to each other with tired grins. Foley was gesturing wildly with his arms, making the Manson girl laugh quietly. Their carefree loving relationship was something he'd never had with Paulina. Sure she was sweet sometimes, but Dash had learned early on that her air-headed personality was a front for her ruthless nature. Why was she that way, anyways?

The thought was one that he'd had too many times. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he noticed that the trio he'd been watching earlier got to their feet. Their classmates followed suit quickly enough, too tired to question anymore.

Danny turned to the rest of his peers.

"Okay, so we'll be heading towards Mattingdom in a few minutes. The ride will last a bit over an hour from here, and once we get there, there'll be time to sleep and eat. I'll speak with Her Majesty on getting ourselves some transportation back to Fenton Works. But first, we need to go over etiquette. Sam, Tucker, and I have earned the privilege of referring to the Queen as Dora. You should call her Your Highness, and if she gives her permission, Ms. Mattingly."

Danny looked around and was eventually satisfied that they comprehended, even if some of them looked sour at calling a ghost by a superior title. Though they looked considerably less upset than he expected and nobody said anything, so as far as he was concerned, everything was going as well as could be expected.

That's when Maddie pulled him gently aside. "Sweetie, why have you been coming here often enough to learn the etiquette in foreign Ghost Zone kingdoms? You knew how dangerous we thought it was. Right now you clearly have the most experience in this place, so your father and I are giving you the benefit of the doubt, but why didn't you tell us what you'd been doing _before_?"

Danny froze. He wasn't prepared for this conversation, much less when his peers were nearby, even if out of hearing range. So all he got out was a generic 'trust me' and an 'it's complicated'. His mom sighed, seeing that he was unlikely to answer any of her questions at the time being. She was just worried about her son.

The sound of neighing drew everyone's attention outside. They filed out of the cave slowly, most of them wary of any more unusually large ghost animals, only to be met with a sleek black carriage. Two horses stood in front, their manes made of electric blue flames, a sharp contrast to the fur that matched the carriage they pulled.

"Well, then," managed Danny, clearly taken aback. "I didn't think Dora would send for us in one of the royal carriages. I was expecting something a bit less," he hesitated searching for the right word.

"Sophisticated?" ventured Tucker.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh c'mon, Danny. Dora considers you one of her closest friends, it's not that shocking. Alright, pile in," she addressed the rest of the class.

"Uh, Manson, hate to break it to ya, but there are mean-looking horses on fire near that thing. No way in hell am I getting on."

A frustrated noise sounded from behind Dash, and Paulina pushed to the front and opened the carriage door. Glancing in at the fine upholstery inside, she gave a satisfied nod before climbing in and plopping herself down on the seat, looking for all the world like she belonged there. She'd been wearing heels for the trip and she'd be damned if anyone tried to stop her from reclining in this admittedly unconventional source of luxury.

The ghost hunting trio shared amused smiles before getting in after her. The vehicle was large enough for the entire class to fit, though they were a bit cramped. Tucker grumbled at being squished between Sam and Dash, the latter of which smelled like sweat. Everyone jolted in their seats, the elder Fentons and Valerie's hands twitching towards their weapons as the doors on the carriage swung closed on their own. The carriage began moving, and their grip tightened as they realized that there was no one steering the carriage other than the horses. Which left Jack and Maddie a bit disturbed at the implications of ghostly animals being that intelligent.

"Please relax, guys. I know you don't trust ghosts right now, and _Pariah_, after the last two days we've had I don't blame you, but at least trust that I know what I'm doing here. You owe me that much at least."

Sam put a supportive hand on her boyfriend's knee, knowing that he was stressed at the moment and willing him to take his own advice and relax. Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie shared a meaningful look before Jack spoke up.

"You're right son. But you haven't shared all that much information about the situation we're in. We have the right to some answers."

Danny took a deep breath before nodding.

"Yeah, that's fair. Ask away. And that goes for all of you."

He looked around the carriage, noticing that his peers had perked up with the promise of answers. Valerie was the first to speak.

"Why did the ghost dog act like you were its owner? I've only ever seen it obey Phantom."

Danny was cut off from answering by the excited chatterings of everyone who suddenly realized that since Valerie was the Red Huntress, she had semi-regular contact with their ghostly idol. Valerie looked like she regretted opening her more more by the second, looking increasingly uncomfortable as they shot rapid-fire questions about the ghost she spent over a year trying to destroy.

Thankfully, Tucker came to her rescue, getting everyone's attention by whistling and then promptly reminding them to get back on track. The teenagers eventually calmed down, but most looked completely unapologetic for verbally pouncing on Valerie like they did. Information on Amity Park's resident hero was scarce, and his fans were brutal in getting every bit they could. Danny finally met her eyes, speaking up.

"Uh, you see, Cujo doesn't really belong to _either_ of us. As far as I could tell, that is. He's just obsessed with his squeaky toy, and seeing as I found it for him once, and I'm guessing so did Phantom at some point, he was just really grateful and listens to us now. Maybe he listens to Phantom more, I dunno, but I, uh, don't really do much more than play fetch with him and use him as a messenger sometimes."

Valerie looked suspiciously at the clearly awkward teen, who was looking at her with a lopsided grin and a _'well there ya go'_ expression. It obviously wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either, so Valerie accepted it and let it go with a shrug and an 'okay'.

Danny's relief at her not questioning him further was short-lived as he was suddenly bombarded with questions. _Where'd you learn to fight like that? Why do you guys come here so often? Do you know Phantom? What's up with these horses? Why keep it all a secret? Do you know Phantom? Can you get me his autograph? DOYOUKNOWPHANTOM?_

Danny was out of his depth. He looked to his parents for support, but as far as they were concerned, with a few additions, the teens had covered all the questions they wanted answers to anyways. There'd be no helping him in avoiding those answers, they decided. Danny's shoulders slumped as his parents did nothing other than calm down the crowd and turn to him expectantly for his responses.

"Okay, then. Uh, in order, we learned over the first year by fighting off a few aggressive ghosts. We also practiced a bit in the lab at Fenton Works. Eventually we worked up the courage to come into here, and after a few nasty run-ins with Walker and some other aggressive ghosts, we became friends with Queen Dora. She's provided some protection for us, so we've been coming more often. The horses are Dora's personal steeds, so they're about as smart as Cujo and listen only to her."

"Yeah, but do you know Phantom, Fenton?" pressed Dash.

The moment Dash finished his question, Valerie scrunched her eyebrows in deep thought. 'Phantom, Fenton,' she mouthed. Danny looked at her apprehensively as she went through a myriad of expressions too fast to catch. But when she locked eyes with him, he knew immediately that she'd figured it out. Just as her mouth opened, and she began to say "_OH MY GO_-", he cut her off.

"_YEAh_, I know Phantom. But it's more along the lines of seeing him at a distance in Mattingdom now and then. I only know about Cujo also liking him because I saw them playing once and I talked with him for a bit. That's pretty much the only interaction we've had. Yup. Definitely."

His whole speech was riddled with him shooting Valerie anxious looks, begging with his eyes that she not say anything about her revelation until they could talk in private. He internally sighed in relief when she gave a small nod and turned her gaze out the window, still obviously in a daze from what she'd discovered.

Oh the things Danny would give for this all to be a dream. That he'd be able to laugh it off with his friends over some frozen yogurt … Damn, but some frozen yogurt would really hit the spot right now.


	5. Lemon Cakes

**Frozen Yogurt**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Yes, I know it's been a while since I've last updated. My dinosaur of a laptop finally crashed for good and dragged all my files down into the fiery pits of computer hell with it, which was just as fantastic as it sounds. After a decent mourning period I have finally gotten back to work on this fic, so expect at least monthly updates, and hopefully more regularly, but no promises. I did edit Chapter 1 a bit, so you might want to head on back and check it out, but I didn't change anything too important, so it's not necessary. Oh, and the link to a pic of Dora's dress is in my profile, for anyone who's curious. Without further ado, I give you Chapter 5!**

**Chapter 5: Lemon Cakes**

Danny was distracted from his anxiety by the sound of metal wheels screeching to a halt. He took a steadying breath, knowing that there was still a lot to be done. And at the end of it all he'd have his inevitable conversation with Valerie to look forward to.

"We're here," he announced rather belatedly, standing up as he spoke.

The doors of the ghostly cart opened of their own volition before him and Team Phantom stepped out, making their way down a small pathway of purple gravel. Their classmates soon shuffled their way out behind the trio, only to gasp at the sight before them.

Walls of stone wider than a car and taller than a house towered above them. Draped in ivy, it was clear they were meant to resist sieges, and had done so in the past judging by the scorch marks they passed as cast iron gates began creaking upwards to allow them passage.

But none of that could have held a candle to what lay behind the doors of the fort. Struck dumb at the sight in front of them, the group stood stiff as they breached the entrance of a bustling city of undead. Ghosts of every shape and color made their way noisily through gravel roads lined with glowing tents and shops. The scent of baked goods wafted through the air from somewhere deeper into the choreographed chaos.

Danny strode forward, motioning for the rest to follow him. The strange city was a loud and chaotic, but cheery nonetheless. The class was bombarded with the experience of a typical medieval town. Maddie Fenton's jaw was wide open, taking in sights she would never have believed if not for the fact that they were happening before her very eyes. On every side ghosts were having friendly conversations and bartering loudly over goods, displays of emotion that were clearly not meant for a human audience and so were likely real. The implications of the scene before her had the scientist's head spinning. Her mouth shut with a click as she was snapped out of her daze after stumbling over a green chicken, befuddled by its resulting indignant clucking.

"Sorry?" the Fenton matriarch provided meekly, only to be shocked when the ghostly poultry clucked in self satisfaction and wandered off. It was almost as if the specter could understand her. Shaking her head, she reminded herself that it was just a chicken, ghostly or otherwise. But the rest of these spooks weren't. One thing was for sure; they were hardly savages. This place was clearly a city, or at least a form of organized society, medieval though it may be. Off to her right the scientist thought she saw a ghost exchanging what looked like currency for some cloth. Maybe it was time she took a good look at the theories she'd once held as undeniably true.

* * *

Valerie was still so out of it that when a young girl with lilac skin knocked into her and dropped a stack of linens she stayed behind to help her. The huntress scooped the clothes off the floor, folding them with an ease born of someone force to launder the few outfits they owned with frustrating frequency. The fact that she was unquestioningly providing aid to a ghost wasn't quite registering with Valerie.

"Thank ye, my lady. You're most kind," said the specter, giving Valerie a gentle smile and continued floating on her way. Valerie was still trying to figure out what exactly had just happened before realizing she'd fallen behind. Jogging to catch up to the stragglers in the back, the teen felt a shadow fall over her. Looking up her eyes widened in awe at the source of the shade.

The ragtag assembly of tents had given way to the sprawling grounds of a medieval palace. Stone towers of polished lavender loomed over the gathered teens, twisting turrets accentuating an incomprehensibly large structure that glowed in the false daylight of this corner of the Ghost Zone. Carved statues of snarling draconian figures perched on every surface, towering over the humans in an intimidating display of intricacy. Valerie was forced to admit she felt intimidated, but was drawn from her thoughts by a voice at the head of the group.

"Welcome to Mattingdom, Realm of the Dragon Queen Dorathea," announced Sam, thoroughly enjoying the stunned faces of her peers. Dora had gone above and beyond her own expectations in remodeling her kingdom, but had confided in Sam that perhaps she should have worked harder in its construction. Clearly she had done a fantastic job judging by the awed reactions to the Queen's honest efforts.

The class trailed after Sam in stunned silence, not noticing Danny slip off to the side. He searched through the wandering townsfolk until he found a guard. Motioning to the lightly armored specter, he discreetly told him to notify the Queen of their arrival.

Joining back with the group was easy enough, as they had stopped before the towering iron doors that denoted the main entrance to the regal citadel. Danny smirked at them, remembering why they'd replaced the wooden doors with heavier metal. After hearing that Dora had welcomed the Trio with open arms, Walker had pompously marched straight into the city with his guards and stormed into the throne room.

Not realizing that Dora was a powerful ghost in her own right, the warden had threatened her with jail time for "aiding and abetting a wanted criminal". Dora, of course, was less than pleased with him, and when he moved to arrest her, had sent a torrent of whirling flames his way, flinging the Warden from her keep and scorching his rear and the main doors in the process. Danny would have given anything to have been there, only having heard of the legendary encounter several months later when he'd come to visit.

Just then, said iron doors swung open slowly, screeching as sparks shot off where metal scraped the cobblestone floor. All the humans shrunk back, throwing their hands over their ears and cringing. Danny was especially not immune to the clamor, his sensitive hearing making his head ring for long moments after the doors finished opening with a dull clang. Straitening up with a wince, Danny stepped up in between Sam and Tucker, and the three lead the procession of humans into the throne room.

Vast ceilings extended overhead far enough that their ends were hidden in darkness, torches flickering with green flames that threw lengthy shadows across dark stone walls. The sound of the trio's steady footsteps echoed deafeningly through the eerie chamber.

They looked shockingly old to the group in the wavering lighting, moving smoothly in tandem as they approached the end of the room. Stone stairs lead to a large platform elevated several feet from the ground. Upon the platform rested a regal throne. Dark tarnished metal weaved in intricate patterns along the trim, inlaid emeralds glowing darkly with ethereal power rather than merely reflecting the torchlight.

To the humans, however, the most imposing thing in the chamber was the woman who sat poised on the lofty seat. Deep red eyes were set in a calculating expression as she took in the humans trailing in behind her chosen warrior and her friends. Her soft green face glowed softly, in complement to blond hair that swished in gentle movements on a nonexistent breeze, and a pair of delicate braids were pulled back to rest on otherwise loose locks.

The woman's noble countenance was evident in the expression on her face and the dress that hung resplendently on her form. It was a soft blue, trimmed with white patterns of vines along the bell sleeves, with a squared neckline and cinched-in waist. Around her neck was a chain of gold, from which hung a glowing pendant in the shape of a reptilian eye, misty power swirling within it and wisps of green energy escaping at intervals. Soft colors that should have lightened her presence only highlighted her subtly imposing form.

The dim lighting provided by neon green flames flickered across her figure, casting her form in shadow and making her gown shimmer nearly black in the darkness. The guards who stood unnoticed by the doors shared smirks in silent pride of their ruler who had struck even hunters silent with awe. Queen Dorathea emanated a presence now that could not be ignored.

Not breaking her calm but otherwise unreadable demeanor, Dorathea's aura trickled rapidly from hands resting lightly on the arms of her throne and slithered across the floor to slam the heavy doors shut.

The humans jumped, a few whom had hands that twitched instinctively towards the weapons concealed on their persons, but ultimately managed to restrain themselves. The Queen's gaze rested on them for only a moment before moving on impassively. The trio had finally reached the base of the stairs, kneeling soberly as one before the ruler of Mattingdom. Their companions shuffled uneasily before following suit.

"So," the queen shattered the thick silence. "You stand before me yet again, young ones. And to plead for aid, I presume?" She waited expectantly for an answer, a thin eyebrow arching elegantly in an unspoken prompt for the trio to speak.

"Yes, your Majesty."

Sam spoke to the Queen with more deference than anyone present had ever heard fall from her lips. Mr. Lancer's eyes bulged out at hearing Miss Manson speak so respectfully to an authority figure. Despite her tone, however, Sam Manson _remained_ Sam Manson, and while she may have knelt down before her friend and ruler, her head was held high, although not enough to be perceived as a challenge.

Queen Dorathea inclined her head in acknowledgement of Sam's words before settling her piercing ruby gaze on the youngest Fenton.

"And _you_, Sir Daniel, thought it wise to bring a faction of humans, and with hunters among them, into my walls without _consequence_? Did you expect me to provide aid to those who may bring harm to my people without complaint?" The Queen's voice echoed softly through the chamber, but her words were laced with poison, and as she spoke her aura flared from it's soft glow into a toxic neon green.

Across the room beads of nervous sweat collected on the foreheads of the adults. When the younger Fenton had spoken of the ghost queen, they hadn't gotten the impression that she was particularly dangerous. Judging by what they had seen of her so far, they were incredibly wrong.

As the so-called Dragon Queen fixated on their son, Jack and Maddie's unease began to build. This feeling spiraled into one of panic as the implications of her words set in: this ghost was not to be trifled with, and by coming here they may not only be denied aid, but she could very well decide to attack them.

As the room held its collective breathe in wait, Danny met the eyes of Mattingdom's sovereign ruler and matter-of-factly stated, "No." He went on to say "I expected you to provide us aid with _plenty_ of complaint."

Valerie's eyes widened impossibly further at hearing Danny snark at a clearly dangerous and powerful ghost, and a queen at that. They were doomed by a teenage boy's sass.

And then suddenly, to the surprise of all but the trio, Dora tilted her head back and began to laugh. Her light chuckles lingered in the air before fading, leaving behind an expression of pleased amusement on Dora's face. Ignoring the confused humans who milled about uncomfortably behind Sir Daniel and his friends, she snapped her fingers. The torches lining the walls flared brighter, lighting the room considerably.

"Yes, I suppose you would, wouldn't you?" she grinned down at the unrepentantly smirking half-ghost.

With an exaggerated sigh of exasperation, Dora stood gracefully, shaking her head at her friends. It was obvious that they had been overly formal in order to gain respect for her from their peers. It was sweet, but as she'd clearly shown, she didn't need help in order to intimidate a few humans. Dora offered a hand to Sam, who accepted the help of her close friend and smiled widely.

She then turned to the rest of the humans and said, "Get up, dears, there's no need for such ceremony."

And with that, The Dragon Queen of Mattingdom glided past the slack-jawed humans through the previously unseen door to the left of her throne.

Danny, seeing how happy his girlfriend was at her Queen's hard-won confidence, held out a fist towards Tucker and said "Pound it." The techno-geek happily obliged.

The teens strode confidently after the ghostly monarch, not bothering to look behind them out of certainty that their fellow humans would follow. It was for this reason that no one took notice of the human lingering at the back of the group. Mikey swiveled around discreetly, and seeing that the coast was clear, quickly attached a minuscule recording device to the wall of the chamber.

* * *

The small class was led through a series of winding hallways, which were well lit and warm. They soon arrived at a circular room that had stairs going up in a spiral off to the side. Several doors branched off on either side of the landing. Couches and armchairs were placed near a fireplace set into the wall, and torches were spread out evenly throughout. Looking closer, Valerie noticed the metal fixtures for the torches were made of silvery dragons, so that the flames seemed to be coming from the mouths of the small effigies. The huntress walked closer to the wall to see the figures up close when the specter at the head of the group spoke.

"Everyone, we have arrived at the guest dwellings. As Lady Manson and her friends are often visitors here, they have their own personal quarters down the hall. We only have enough rooms to accommodate five pairs of two. The rest are not _quite_ fit for human habitation, so I'm afraid you'll have to make do."

Valerie quickly did the math and saw that someone would be left without a room if they were to be paired up. She said as much to the ghost queen, only for her to suggest a somewhat surprising solution.

"Well, then I suppose you'll can share Lady Manson's quarters, if that's alright with her. I'm sure she can show you the way," the spectral maiden offered casually by way of parting. As she floated away with a curtsy to Danny and a polite nod to his companions.

Sam appreciated that Dora was going out of her way to help nearly a dozen humans. She honestly doesn't now what they would've done if she'd actually denied them her aid. And it was for that reason only that the teen didn't shoot at her when her friend suggested that she room with her boyfriend's ex and once personal bounty hunter. But _somebody_ had to bunk with her, and honestly, Sam would take Valerie over Paulina _any_ day.

The teenage huntress knew how much Sam hated her, and had already resigned herself to sleeping on one of the common room couches. But now that she thought about it, and she was trying _really hard_ not to think about it, Sam probably hated her because she'd obsessively hunted her boyfriend for over a year, and Valerie honestly couldn't hold that against her. So the expression of wary confusion on her face could be excused when Sam eventually sighed and motioned for Valerie to follow her.

"Here, I'll show you to my room in a minute, I just gotta help get the others settled in."

Valerie nodded mutely as Sam led the girls up the stairs to the doors on the right, trailing behind her. Meanwhile Danny and Tucker led the men over to the left, explaining that the rooms were all identical, and that no, they _don't_ come stocked with snacks, Dash, that's what the kitchens are for, _what do you mean you're hungry_ I saw you sneak two extra rations over the last hour?!

Soon everyone had split into pairs and claimed their rooms. Paulina had immediately snatched up Star and headed for the closest door. Valerie watched as the hispanic teen flung her bags across the room before flopping on the bed, trusting Star to shut the door behind her. Jazz dragged her mother over to next room, leaving her husband floundering in indecision before rounding on Mr. Lancer and throwing an arm around him in jovial camaraderie.

Dash and Kwan had finished arguing with Danny about the necessity of easily accessible snacks and sulked off into a room. That left Mikey and Nathan with the room farthest from the stairs. Valerie winced in sympathy, because from the looks of the door, that room was probably more shabby and neglected than Mr. Lancer's social life.

Their job done for now, the remaining teens met up at the bottom of the stairs, Valerie standing self-consciously off to the side. She shook off her nerves and turned to Danny.

"So," she said softly, "you're Danny Phantom."

"Yeah," Danny rubbed his neck anxiously, "any chance we can have this conversation somewhere more private."

Valerie nodded silently, walking beside him as he led the way out of the common room and down the hall. He turned to a large pair of oak doors and pushed them open. The huntress immediately noticed that the room was noticeably more ornate than the one they'd come from. A long plush couch stretched out in front of a marble fireplace. The room was tastefully decorated in tones of silver and black, varying tones of gray and soft greens accenting what was clearly a room reserved for a person of note. Matching doors lay on opposite sides of the room, leading to what Valerie guessed were the bedrooms.

Danny offered the uncharacteristically quiet teen a seat, which she took gratefully. Once she'd sat down, her body sagged in exhaustion, sinking into the couch. She sighed and looked up at the boy she'd loved and hated equally for over a year, hoping that she'd finally get some answers to the question she hadn't been allowing herself to think, let alone ask. The halfa shot a look to his two best friends, who were milling about in concern off to the side. Without prompting, they decided to give them their privacy, Sam pausing to squeeze his shoulder and Tucker shooting him a sympathetic smile as they walked past.

The bedroom door creaked loudly before clicking shut, the silence left that much louder in the duo's absence. Danny paced in front of the couch before turning to Valerie. His mouth opened and closed a few times, a chocked sound escaping in an aborted attempt to say something, anything, before he resumed pacing.

"Trying to decide how much to tell me?" she ventured, though not accusingly. She wouldn't blame him for not trusting her with all the information. She just wanted, no, _needed_ answers.

"No, no, you deserve to know all of it. It's just that I- I don't know, really, where to start."

Scrambling for something, anything to further postpone the inevitable conversation, Danny went to the small kitchenette off to the side of the room to fix a quick snack.

"You want some lemon cake, because we have _tons_ of lemon cake here-"

"Quit stalling, Fenton. _Please_."

It was the desperate plea in her eyes that did him in. Sighing, Danny steeled himself and finally nodded his head in acquiescence.

"I guess it'd be better if just _show_ you."

Danny took in a shaky breath before steeling himself. Valerie hadn't hunted him for years, she wasn't going to shoot him. '_But that's not what you're worried about_' his annoying inner monologue provided. It was best to just jump into this this headfirst.

Valerie inched forward in her seat imperceptibly, both wary and curious as to what exactly he was going to do, only to jump back as a ring of light split down the teen's middle, slowly revealing the ghost she'd known for nearly four years. The blue energy erased the visage of Danny Fenton, revealing the glowing form of Danny Phantom.

Over the years, Phantom's outfit had changed only a slight bit at a time but often enough that what he wore now was a far cry from the jumpsuit he'd had Freshman year. Spandex had made way for a dark gray undershirt with the signature logo, a rumpled black jacket worn over it with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows. Matching fingerless gloves were worn above metallic bracelets that she'd mocked until one day seeing them being used to electrocute a pair of ectopuses, and then she'd just been jealous. Sturdy black jeans were held up by several white utility belts, and a pair of heavy boots with silver metal on the toes and soles completed the look.

There was no more room for doubt in her mind, Danny was Phantom. The adorable, easily flustered teen she'd considered a close friend was also the ghost she'd hunted like an animal at one point in time.

"How is this possible?"

"Well, remember how I missed a week of school in the beginning Freshman year? It was because of a lab accident at Fenton Works. It all started when my parents built the ghost portal."

Valerie sat for what felt like hours as Danny explained everything from that fateful day at Fenton Works to his battle against Pariah Dark. Years worth of what she'd considered incriminating evidence against Phantom were explained away and the air between them cleared. The huntress had listened intently, only cutting in occasionally to ask for clarification on a ghost's name or some other detail. But her relatively contemplative silence was ended when the half-ghost mentioned Vlad.

"When you say Vlad, you mean Plasmius _and _Masters, right?"

"Uh, well, y-you see, it's not so much, um, I don't-" his flustered attempts at protecting his fellow halfa's secret would've seemed endearing to the huntress if she didn't hate Vlad with a fiery passion.

"Cut the crap, Phan- uh, Fenton, I know they're the same person."

"Wait, what? When did you find out?"

"Right after I helped you rescue Dani from being melted down a few years ago. Oh my god, I tried to torture you for information, I'm so sorry Danny, I-"

He waved her off, "It's fine, no hard feelings, honest. But if you've known about him for all this time, then why do you still do jobs on the side for him and stuff?"

"Trust me, I would've shot that smarmy rich spook in the face by now if I could, but he owns Axiom Labs. As much as I'd love to, I can't shoot the guy who signs Daddy's paychecks. I l_iterally_ can't afford to fight that lying son of a-"

"Okay, okay," he cut in, "I get the picture. But weirdly enough, Vlad's mellowed out a lot over the last couple of years."

Valerie took a moment to consider the statement, making a noise of contemplation. Although she'd been denying it to herself for a while now, the teen had spent enough time in friendly mock battles and surprisingly civil conversations with Phantom that Danny's ghostly appearance hardly fazed her. She began to think out loud, comfortable enough in her old friend's presence to begin rambling.

"Now that I think about it, you're right; most of the ghost activity in Amity Park dropped significantly since the beginning of Junior year. It's been mostly quiet with a few major ghost attacks from the really powerful ones. What happened? And I can't believe I didn't notice this before, because ghosts don't just up and stop attacking an area unless it's considered claimed territory," Valerie trailed off as she turned to Danny with an incredulous expression.

"Yeah, you're not far from the mark there, Val. I kinda officially claimed Amity Par as my haunt, so most of my old enemies don't really cause trouble as often. Only the really powerful ghosts try to harass the town anymore," he paused for a moment, "Well, and the Box Ghost, but he doesn't really count as a threat."

Valerie sputtered when the teen said he'd claimed the town as his own territory.

"How the hell did you claim an entire town as your haunt? I thought ghosts could only really clam small pieces of territory for themselves. Hell, as far as I can tell even Vlad's territory only extends to the grounds of his Wisconsin Mansion!"

"Haha, yeah, about that," Danny rubbed at his neck. "See, there was an incident at the beginning of Junior year."

"An incident?" Valerie cocked an eyebrow playfully.

"Yeah, an_ incident_. Back in Freshman year we fought the Ghost King, remember?" Danny waited for her to nod before continuing.

"Well, Pariah Dark was king because he could channel the energy of these two ghostly artifacts: the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. When he'd first been trapped thousands of years ago, it had only been with the Crown. But when Vlad and I locked him up again in Freshman year, he had the Ring with him. Which should have been fine, seeing as how he needed both artifacts to be powerful enough to break out. You following me?"

At Val's confirmation, he went on. "Thing is, Pariah had spent his years of imprisonment siphoning off energy from the crown to store in his core. And though that dude was crazier than the Fruitloop, he was still smart enough not to use that back-up energy during our fight and kept it stored in case he was imprisoned again. So when he was trapped all over again, but this time with the other half of his energy source, guess what happened?"

"Oh my god, he took energy from the ring and he broke out once he had enough juice stored up! Wait a second, how come none of us saw anything in Amity Park? Last time the ghost king was free he pulled the city into the Ghost Zone."

"Bingo! And it's because he never got to leave the Zone. He used up all his power in that little stunt, and I was visiting a friend in the Ghost Zone when it happened, so I was able to intercept him on his way to getting the Crown back. Long story short, Vlad showed up with it eventually, and at one point in the battle I ended up wearing both the Crown and the Ring. That let me defeat Pariah once and for all." Danny's eyes darkened at the reminder of what he'd been forced to do. It was far from a pleasant memory, and even with Pariah running low on power, Danny hadn't had the Fenton Ecto Skeleton that time and nearly died in the battle.

Meanwhile, Valerie had figured that the ghostly trinkets gave him the power boost necessary to claim the town as his, and said as much to the half-ghost.

"Uh, sort of. Turns out that being able to survive wearing the Crown and Ring together and defeating the previous wearer fulfilled the criteria to be next in line for the throne. I kinda accidentally ended up making myself Ghost Prince, and I'll sorta be taking the official title of Ghost King once we graduate."

Danny was too engrossed in the tale he was weaving to notice that Valerie had descended into staring at him wide-eyed silence and found himself not able to stop once he'd started talking.

"Anyways, so the whole deal gave me the authority to claim Amity Park as my haunt. But a side effect of being heir to the throne means that any ghost that attacks Amity is indirectly challenging me for the position of King. So any ghost fight I get into is really a fight for the throne, so I can't just catch them in the thermos and then let them go, I have to either destroy them or injure them so badly that the Ring and Crown consider them "defeated". Long story short, the only ghosts that really wreck havoc in Amity since then are the major players like Undergrowth and Vortex."

Finally noticing Valerie's slack-jawed silence, Danny peered worriedly at her face.

"Uh, Val? You okay? _Hellooo_, Earth to Valerie."

Shaking off her incredulity at the insane situations Danny had apparently been placed in for nearly four years now, Valerie responded, batting away the hand Danny had placed on her forehead n concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Your life is crazy, you know that, Fenton?"

Danny snorted in self-deprecating agreement. "Tell me about it."

"But what happened to the ring and crown. I mean, I would've noticed you wearing glowing jewelry in school and by the sounds of things, you can't let any other ghosts get their hands on them, so where are they?"

"They're kind of phased intangibly in my gut, that way other ghosts can't just take 'em off me even if they manage to knock me out or whatever."

Valerie asked Danny where he learned that trick, she'd never have thought he'd hide his things inside of himself. To her surprise, the halfa's expression turned stormy for brief moment before he answered.

"I learned it ten years in the future during Freshman year."

"Ummm?"

Danny was saved from answering by Tucker poking his head through the bedroom door.

"Are you guys finished yet, because- wait, are those lemon cakes? Hey, Sam! There's _lemon cakes_!" Tucker had turned to holler back into the bedroom.

"You don't need to shout Tucker, I'm literally in the same room as you."

Nevertheless, Sam followed Tucker out of the bedroom to the kitchenette. The two grabbed plates before plopping down on the other side of the couch that Valerie sat on. The teens both reached forward to cut slices of the pastry Danny had set on the coffee table earlier out of nerves. Said half-ghost smirked at them bemusedly before cutting slices for himself and Valerie. He offered the plate to her before squeezing down on the now crowded couch in between her and Sam.

"So," started Tucker in between mouthfuls, "I'm guessing you and Danny are cool now, huh?"

Turning to Danny for confirmation and receiving a comforting smile, she nodded.

"Yeah, we're cool."

Across the Ghost Zone, Clockwork's Tower was filled with the sound of ticking timepieces. The loud clanks were deafening in the otherwise barren room. Barren except for gears and a single side table, on top of which was a thermos. It should've been singed and dented, warped out of shape by the spirit contained within. But the thermos hadn't looked anything other than new for nearly a year now. And so Clockwork decided to do something he hadn't allowed of himself in the three years since he had taken on Daniel, both versions of him, as his responsibility. Clockwork decided to leave the tower for more than a day. Although his Sight was clouded from within his own home, what little he could see suggested that if he did allow himself to attend one of the week-long Observant Council meetings, the world would not be doomed by it.

Stopping to shake the thermos as he floated by it, faint cursing could be heard coming from inside it. He looked it over, and seeing that he could see no exterior damage, the timekeeper placed t back on the table before continuing on his way. Chuckling to himself, Clockwork sealed the doors to his domain shut and left. Even years down the line, he still couldn't be sure if that had been the right decision.

To say that Dan Phantom was not pleased would be an understatement. He was wrathful. Three _years_ the ghost had been trapped in this primitive, cramped, infuriatingly sturdy thermos. Years he could've put to use ravaging the globe where he'd instead been stuck inside a damn soup container. As soon as he got out of this metallic hell, he was going to kill his alternate self. And then he would make time for Clockwork, who would get his own turn at an excruciatingly slow and painful death the likes of which he reserved for those who got in his way.

He'd take particular delight in trapping Clockwork in a thermos himself and give him a taste of his own medicine. He'd let the _old-timer_ chip away desperately at the thermos walls, for a change. Let him get so close to breaking through that he could feel the last thin layer of metal between him and freedom. And then Dan would shake the thermos and use the bastard's own staff to turn back time and repair the container. See how _he_ liked being just a breath away from freedom before having it suddenly ripped away, being forced to start all over again in an endless desperate cycle. Well, perhaps not _endless_. Dan was planning on letting him out eventually, if only to rip him into pieces once he got bored with psychologically tormenting the meddling time ghost.

It'd taken him nearly two years to figure out how to dupe Clockwork's system. No matter how much he'd battered and blasted and Wailed at the thermos, the timekeeper always repaired the stupid thing as soon as there were any real signs of wear on the outside or Dan had been utilizing his Ghostly Wail for longer than Clockwork had the patience for. Apparently, the noise was irritating to him, which the specter had made the mistake of admitting. Delighted at being able to at least irritate the sick bastard, Dan would've kept at it indefinitely if only to see if Clockwork would eventually get a migraine. He got away with it for nearly a full forty-eight hours before he got Clockwork to lose his cool. Unfortunately, that only led to the specter rattling the thermos every time he made any amount of noise,whether from banging on the walls, using his Wail, or even just talking.

While infuriating, it _had_ ensured that the concentrated silence he'd fallen into wasn't as much a cause for suspicion. Once Dan realized that by using the hot core that had belonged to Plasmius, he could focus an intensely hot fire that he could use to melt the inside of the thermos with. The silent fire was super heated to the point it'd become plasma, which Dan used to slowly but surely melt through a point the size of a pinprick. He only needed there to be the slightest break or crack in order to teleport out, and judging by the thinness of the remaining metal, it was only a _matter of time._


End file.
